ANIMAL KINGDOM

In keeping with the theme of the land, The Dino Institute was created to uncover the mysteries of the past and is staffed by students and scientists. The queue area contain exhibits and displays and a voice over introduction by Bill Nye the Science Guy.

Travel back 65 million years to the Cretaceous period in search of an Iguanodon dinosaur! Your time traveler will race through a meteor shower and come face to face with some rather large dinosaurs!

Dinosaur is the thrill ride at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

ATTRACTION

You wind your way through the entrance of the Dino Institute past fossils, lab notes and photos. You are invited into the rotunda with large murals, fossils and dioramas of the early days when dinosaurs inhabited the earth.

The waiting area goes through several different multimedia shows, lighting up different panels on the diorama, explaining how scientists believe a fiery asteroid slammed into the earth and devastated all known life forms.

Lights are brought up and you walk through the turnstiles into the Institute's Briefing Room. A live video conference is in progress hosted by Dr. Helen Marsh (Phylicia Rashad). Dr. Marsh introduces you to the Time Rover -- your transportation vehicle to the past.

Suddenly, you are listening to Dr. Grant Seeker (Wallace Langham) tell you how he needs you to travel to the end of the Cretaceous period to find the Iguanodon. Without spoiling the remainder of the pre-show... the doors open and you find yourself descending into the loading area (guests in wheelchairs will be directed to elevators by Cast Members).

You board the 12 passenger, all terrain vehicle, fasten your seat belt and are OFF!!! This is a very herky-jerky ride through time and space (there are no drops). When the light emerges, you find yourself in the prehistoric forests and dinosaurs are everywhere.

The sky darkens once again and meteors come flying out at you. You speed through the alioramous as he enjoys a giant lizard. Your Time Rover is caught in the Meteor shower and has lost its headlights. You are face to face with a carnotaurus!

The radio signals that there are 60 seconds to impact! You dip and swerve still looking for the Iguanodon. The homing signal attaches to the Iguanodon just as a meteor hits earth! The force of the impact creates a tremendous vacuum, sucking everything forward.

ITS OVER! You survived! And not only are you alive and OK, but Dr. Seeker's Iguanodon came back with you!

TOURING TIPS

This is a rough, turbulent ride! Think of a bucking bronco! Dinosaur is mostly dark with lots of light flashes, loud noises and dinosaurs jumping out at you! It can be scary for youngsters and perhaps some adults.

It is Standard Operating Procedure on Dinosaur to have the Cast Member do a seat belt check at a safety stop after the ride has left the boarding area but before it enters the main ride path.

Dinosaur is virtually a walk on at park opening and closing.

The Height Requirement is 40 inches.

Find a line and don't want to wait??? You can utilize FASTPASS - a free service to all park guests.

The ride is less than 3 minutes in duration.

KIDS AND CHARACTERS

This ride is very dark with lots of loud noises, flashing lights and BIG dinosaurs that jump out at you -- may be scary for children.

Child Swap - Important note is that unlike the other Disney Attractions where you walk through the beginning to do your Child Swap, the CMs will send you to the exit of the Attraction here for the swap.

Please parents!!! Make sure your child wants to go on the ride. Disney is about magic, not being scared. On a recent trip, a young boy sat screaming and crying between his parents as we loaded the car. He kept telling them he did NOT want to ride. They kept telling him he would like it. Poor boy cried the whole time. Nuff said, I hope!

Be sure to notice the television monitors as you're exiting the ride area for a glimpse of you're hitch-hiking Iguanodon!

Animal Kingdom Characters At A Glance
Character Meet and Greet FAQ!

DINING

There are no places to eat in the immediate vicinity of Dinosaur. The place to consider in DinoLand U.S.A.is Restaurantosaurus home of McDonald's lunches!

There are also a few quick snack places to eat: Dino Bite Snacks, Dino Diner and Petrifies.

Animal Kingdom Restaurants At A Glance
Menus From Around the World
Vegetarian and Other Special Diets

SHOPPING

There is a photo op inside the attraction and you can purchase your photo upon exiting. If you are a resort guest inquire about sending your photo to your hotel room so you don't end up bending it during the day.

INTERESTING FACTS

These are the largest audio-animatronic figures created to date!

Some of the dinosaurs you will see in the ride include: Saltasaurus, Parasaurolophus, Alioramus, and Styracosaurus.

When Animal Kingdom first opened, this ride was called Countdown to Extinction. It was changed to Dinosaur in May 2000 as a tie-in for the then current Disney movie.

If you have comments or tips to share with others about touring Animal Kingdom, let us know. Thank you.